Since 5’s humble beginnings, we have continuously challenged conventional wisdom and explored alternative paths to create breakthrough results for others. We explore different methods and angles to every new issue or opportunity, brainstorming and celebrating fresh ideas along the way. One of the most fundamental, simple, and yet innovative discoveries in our business has been our team-based approach to almost everything. We extract such a tremendous amount of value from our team’s connectedness and diversity that we even made t-shirts that read “There is no ‘i’ in 5 (the number not the word).” Hopefully, you get the joke in that statement…

Too often I hear business leaders try to separate great work culture from peak performance. Since many people have never worked for an award-winning, certified Great Place to Work, lack the firsthand experience to understand the key elements and drivers of great company culture. Instead of recognizing the core tenets of intentional culture building, including clearly articulated values, common vision, individual autonomy, integrity, appropriate risk-taking, accountability, excellence, dignified communication, shared experience, and the power of teamwork, people believe that gimmicky office accessories, like ping pong tables and beer taps, are the signs of good culture. That is simply not true.

How did Luthin Associates successfully assimilate into 5?

We found ourselves reflecting on the successful integration of 5 and Luthin Associates from a cultural standpoint with this week’s announcement of 5’s enhanced website experience that now combines the knowledge, tools, and passion from each of our brands. In just over two years, we have been able to take two very strong, client-centric organizations and leverage the best aspects of each to deliver best-in-class solutions to all stakeholders. After seeing so many mergers and acquisitions either fall apart or fail to produce meaningful value for clients and employees alike, we are compelled to share a few of the key actions we took to ensure a smooth transition that resulted in a win-win for all parties. While this list is certainly not exhaustive, here are five highlights of the process:

Shared experiences drive deep human connection in the workplace. 5’s book club is one of the most impactful ways that we orchestrate these meaningful moments for our team. When we gather to review, discuss, and debate each new book, we begin to form a unique vernacular and a deeper understanding of each other’s perspectives. Our conversations, about the book and subsequently about our business, create new avenues for organizational development and personal fulfillment.

Changing the way businesses approach their overall energy strategy, while simultaneously raising the bar for the entire deregulated power industry, is an audacious goal. When we started 5, we knew that we would need to be intentional about every aspect of our culture to make an impact of this magnitude, starting with The 5 Values.

We knew from the start that our unique approach to culture building and client value creation warranted an equally special focus on employee titles and team names within the company. When it came time to determine the best name for 5’s leadership team, we selected the name Batman, but not because of the Gotham City superhero. Instead, the name Batman comes from the inspiring personal story of Daniel Kish.

The recent winter storm in Texas reminds us that living our mission of helping others starts by caring for our families, neighbors, and co-workers. Our team, like yours, has experienced firsthand the emotional and physical stress caused by natural disasters, family emergencies, terrorist attacks, and more. When the power went out for millions of Texans, many of whom also lost running water as well, those of us who were not in the dark joined together to continue advising our clients while also rendering aid to one another. Below is a brief look into two of our team’s stories:

Since the onset of deregulation, energy brokers have been accustomed to receiving gifts, expensive meals, and lavish trips from suppliers in the name of relationship building. This quid pro quo approach can drive energy brokers to favor one supplier when selecting a winner at the end of a supposedly competitive bid process. Not only does this barrier to objectivity diminish the focus on the needs of the client, but it also produces subpar results that erode the entire value proposition of energy deregulation.

I can still hear the echoes of the worst recruiting advice I ever received as we were launching our business 9 years ago. When I told seasoned leaders in our industry that we were not planning to ask our sales team to sign non-competes and non-solicits, they consistently said, “you’re gonna regret that.”